2018 North Korea-United States summit
U.S. President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12, 2018, in Singapore, in the first summit meeting between the leaders of the two countries. They signed a joint statement, agreeing to security guarantees for North Korea, new peaceful relations, reaffirmation of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, recovery of soldiers' remains, and follow-up negotiations between high-level officials. Immediately following the summit, Trump announced that the US would discontinue "provocative" joint military exercises with South Korea and would "eventually" withdraw troops stationed there. Singapore, considered politically benign territory by both sides, made thorough preparations to host the summit, which took place at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. According to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the summit had cost the Singaporean government S$20 million (US$15 million), half of which was spent on security measures. Each leader also met with Prime Minister Lee prior to their summit meeting. Background Korea has been divided since 1945. The Korean War of 1950–1953 ended with an armistice agreement but not a peace settlement. A sporadic conflict has continued, with American troops remaining in the South as part of a mutual defense treaty. The North began building a nuclear reactor in 1963, and it began a nuclear weapons program in the 1980s. North Korea first committed to denuclearization in 1992 in the Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In a speech authored by David Frum, President George W. Bush referred to North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" during his 2002 State of the Union address, but in the 2005 Joint Statement of the Fourth Round of the Six-Party Talks, North Korea reaffirmed the 1992 Joint Declaration and the goal of verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In 2008, North Korea voluntarily gave information on its nuclear program in exchange for sanction relief, and they were taken off the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Despite this, nuclear inspectors were barred from surveying any North Korean weapons facilities. The Obama administration had a policy of "strategic patience", in which provocations would not be rewarded with presidential attention or the sending of high-level envoys but instead be punished with sanctions and greater military coordination with South Korea and Japan. More nuclear tests were conducted in the succeeding years, and the 2010 bombardment of Yeonpyeong markedly raised tensions between North Korea and South Korea. The escalation of North Korea's nuclear program advanced particularly under the rule of Kim Jong-un, who became the leader in December 2011, after his father Kim Jong-il died. Donald Trump was elected the US President in 2016 with a position of opposition to Barack Obama's policy of "strategic patience" towards North Korea. While advocating a tough stance, he also expressed openness to dialogue, saying he would be prepared to "eat a hamburger" with Kim. He put himself at odds with military allies, saying that it would be better if South Korea and Japan protect themselves. In return, a North Korean-linked website described him as a "wise politician. North Korea successfully tested the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), named Hwasong-14 in July 2017. In response to heightened North Korean rhetoric, Trump warned that any North Korean attack "will be met with fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which the world has never seen before". In response, North Korea announced that it was considering a missile test in which the missiles would land near the US territory of Guam, but this was later postponed. North Korea tested what some sources argued may have been its first hydrogen bomb on September 3. The test was internationally condemned, and further economic sanctions were put on North Korea. The United States also added North Korea back to its State Sponsors of Terrorism list after nine years. On November 28, North Korea launched the Hwasong-15, which, according to analysts, would be capable of reaching anywhere in the United States. The United Nations responded by placing further sanctions on the country. After North Korea claimed that the missile was capable of "carrying a super-heavy nuclear warhead and hitting the whole mainland of the U.S.", Kim-Jong-Un announced that they had "finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force", putting them in a position of strength to push the United States into talks. It could also lead to the World War III if it is ready, putting the 3rd World War as the "Cold War" (1945 - 1991) and 4th World War as the "War on Terrorism" (2001 - present), under the Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Kim Jong-Il Kim Jong-il (or Kim Jong Il) (Korean: 김정일, Korean: kim.dʑʌŋ.il;a 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was the second Supreme Leader of North Korea, from the death of his father Kim Il-sung, the first Supreme Leader of North Korea, in 1994 until his own death in 2011. He has been considered a dictatorial ruler, and was often accused of human rights violations. Kim was born in Vyatskoye, Russia, when it was still part of the Soviet Union. By the early 1980s, Kim had risen to become the heir apparent for the leadership of the DPRK and assumed important posts in the party and army organs. Kim succeeded his father and founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung, following the elder Kim's death in 1994. Kim was the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), WPK Presidium, Chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC) of North Korea and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA), the fourth-largest standing army in the world. During Kim's rule, the country suffered from a famine and had a poor human rights record. Kim involved his country in state terrorism and strengthened the role of the military by his Songun, or "military-first", politics. Kim's rule also saw tentative economic reforms, including the opening of the Kaesong Industrial Park in 2003. In April 2009, North Korea's constitution was amended to officially refer to him (and his later successors) as the "supreme leader of the DPRK". The most common colloquial title given to him during his reign was "The Dear Leader" to distinguish him from his father Kim Il-sung, "The Great Leader". Following Kim's failure to appear at important public events in 2008, foreign observers assumed that Kim had either fallen seriously ill or died. On 19 December 2011, the North Korean government announced that he had died two days earlier, whereupon his third son, Kim Jong-un, was promoted to a senior position in the ruling WPK and succeeded him. After his death, Kim was designated as the "Eternal General Secretary" of the WPK and the "Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission", in keeping with the tradition of establishing eternal posts for the dead members of the Kim dynasty. Soviet records show that Kim was born Yuri Irsenovich Kim (Russian: Юрий Ирсенович Ким) in 1941 in the village of Vyatskoye, near Khabarovsk, where his father, Kim Il-sung, commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, made up of Chinese and Korean exiles. Kim Jong-il's mother, Kim Jong-suk, was Kim Il-sung's first wife. Inside his family, he was nicknamed "Yura", while his younger brother Kim Man-il (born Alexander Irsenovich Kim) was nicknamed "Shura". However, Kim Jong-il's official biography states he was born in a secret military camp on Paektu Mountain (Chosŏn'gŭl: 백두산밀영고향집; Baekdusan Miryeong Gohyang jip) in Japanese-occupied Korea on 16 February 1942. According to one comrade of Kim's mother, Lee Min, word of Kim's birth first reached an army camp in Vyatskoye via radio and that both Kim and his mother did not return there until the following year. In 1945, Kim was four years old when World War II ended and Korea regained independence from Japan. His father returned to Pyongyang that September, and in late November Kim returned to Korea via a Soviet ship, landing at Sonbong. The family moved into a former Japanese officer's mansion in Pyongyang, with a garden and pool. Kim Jong-il's brother drowned there in 1948. It was reported that Kim Jong-il had died of a suspected heart attack on 17 December 2011 at 8:30 a.m. while travelling by train to an area outside Pyongyang. It was reported in December 2012, however, that he had died "in a fit of rage" over construction faults at a crucial power plant project at Huichon in Jagang Province. He was succeeded by his youngest son Kim Jong-un, who was hailed by the Korean Central News Agency as the "Great Successor". According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), during his death a fierce snowstorm "paused" and "the sky glowed red above the sacred Mount Paektu" and the ice on a famous lake also cracked so loud that it seemed to "shake the Heavens and the Earth." Kim Jong-il's funeral took place on 28 December in Pyongyang, with a mourning period lasting until the following day. South Korea's military was immediately put on alert after the announcement and its National Security Council convened for an emergency meeting, out of concern that political jockeying in North Korea could destabilise the region. Asian stock markets fell soon after the announcement, due to similar concerns. On 12 January 2012, North Korea called Kim Jong-il the "eternal leader" and announced that his body would be preserved and displayed at Pyongyang's Kumsusan Memorial Palace. Officials also announced plans to install statues, portraits, and "towers to his immortality" across the country. Pre-summit events US President Donald Trump left the G7 summit around four hours earlier than scheduled and departed directly for Singapore. He reportedly viewed the G7 summit as a distraction of the Summit to Kim. Trump landed at Paya Lebar Airbase at 8.20pm and was welcomed by the Vivian Balakrishnan. A US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport plane was already at the air base ahead of his arrival. Trump is staying at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, where it had hosted various US presidents. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un landed at Singapore Changi Airport on Sunday at about 14:35 local time and was welcomed by Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung, together with Nathaniel Yeo. Kim flew to Singapore on Air China, a plane used by the highest echelons of the Chinese leadership. According to media reports, a cargo plane, an Air Koryo Ilyushin Il-76, containing food items and other perishables landed in Singapore from North Korea before Kim's plane landed. Chiller trucks ferried them to the St. Regis Hotel Singapore where Kim is staying. A third plane from North Korea, an Air Koryo Ilyushin Il-62, landed shortly afterward, Kim's sister and Vice-Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department, Kim Yo-jong, was believed to be on board. Both Trump and Kim had met separately with Lee Hsien Loong and Ophelia Toh. Kim met Lee earlier at the Istana on Sunday evening. Trump met on Monday afternoon at the same venue. He was accorded a bilateral meeting, followed by a working lunch and then an expanded bilateral meeting. During the meeting, Trump accepted Halimah Yacob's invitation to make a state visit in November 2018, in conjunction with the 6th ASEAN-US summit and the 13th East Asia Summit. A working-level meeting between the US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim and Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son-hui, at The Ritz-Carlton on Monday morning. The meeting lasted over two hours and was believed to further work on the summit between Trump and Kim and push forward the agendas. Meanwhile, North Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong-ho met his Singapore counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday morning. Beginning of Summit The summit was broadcast in real-time internationally. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived at Capella Hotel first before United States president Donald Trump arrived six minutes later. They started at 9.05am with the 12-second handshake and then participated in a one-to-one meeting, with interpreters only. Trump and Kim emerged from one to one talks and walked down to the corridor to the Cassia where the expanded bilateral meeting took place. Trump described the one-on-one meeting as "very very good" when asked by a reporter. When Trump asked if he had notes on one-for-one meeting to refer back and verify, Trump replied "I don't have to verify because I have good memories of all time". Trump and Kim took a short walk together and viewed the interior of the presidential state car. Trump left the G7 summit early in order to travel to Singapore for an upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-un. Trump held a news conference at 4.15pm local time which lasted more than an hour. Trump said that further discussions will take place with the North Korean officials and that he would consider visiting Pyongyang. Trump announced the end of "joint military exercises" with the South Korean military, which considered "provocative". US Forces Korea and South Korea were apparently not consulted. He expressed his hope that the removal of 32,000 American troops defending South Korea would become part of the equation. The next round of joint military exercises is scheduled in end August. End of Summit Donald Trump left Singapore from Paya Lebar Air Base at 6.30pm, earlier than the planned departure time at 7.00pm and Kim Jong-in had left Singapore from Changi Airport at 10.30pm. Upon returning from the United States, President Trump declared that North Korea is no longer in nuclear threat. Incidents On June 9, two South Korean media personnel from South Korean broadcaster KBS News were arrested for trespassing at the home of the North Korean ambassador in Singapore. KBS News subsequently issued an apology for not being cautious The two media personnel were deported the next day on June 10. On June 11, five South Korean women were arrested on Monday night for protesting outside the St. Regis Hotel where Chairman Kim and his delegation were staying. The police warned the women for violating the Public Order Act but they refused to cooperate, leading to their arrests. Venues Trump administration sources said on April 28 that the meeting will be held either at Singapore or Mongolia. On April 30, Trump remarked that the possibility of the Peace House and Inter-Korean House of Freedom (Joint Security Area) in Panmunjom will serve as the venues. Trump believes that Panmunjom in DMZ would be the reasonable location for the meeting to remove nuclear weapons and to sign the preparatory peace treaty on the Korean peninsula. The inter-Korean Peace House was where the 2018 inter-Korean summit took place earlier in April. Singapore was the site for the China-Taiwan summit. Mongolia had sponsored a number of talks in recent years involving regional and international players and is accessible by train from North Korea. On April 30, Trump confirmed that Singapore, Peace House and Inter-Korean House of Freedom were under consideration. American officials said that the most likely mutually agreed upon choice of venue would be Southeast Asia or Europe, especially from among the choices of Singapore, Vietnam (communist country recognized by the US since 1995), Thailand and Switzerland (where Kim and his two siblings had some schooling) or Sweden (whose embassy acts as an intermediary for Americans travelling in North Korea). Another possible location of the summit would be Ulan Baatar, Mongolia. Other proposed venues include Pyongyang, the Inter-Korean Peace House in Panmunjom (near the boundary of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea), the Russian port city of Vladivostok (accessible to Kim by land and sea and nearby Vyatskoye, Kim's predecessor and father Kim Jong-Il's birthplace), a Chinese city such as Shenyang, Changchun or Beijing (favoured by China), Seoul or South Korea's Jeju Island or aboard the US ship in international waters. CNN reported on May 9 that Singapore will be hosting the summit on June 12. As per CNBC, a White House official said that Singapore was chosen as it has diplomatic missions for both United States and North Korea, and was one of the countries that have relationships with both countries. Trump confirmed the location on May 10 and announced that the meeting is set on June 12. At 4,700 kilometres from Pyongyang's Sunan Airport, Singapore is easily within the range of Kim's Soviet made Il-62M aircraft. Local media reported that the most likely choice of venue would be Shangri-La Hotel near to Orchard Road known for hosting the Shangri-La Dialogue and the 2015 Ma-Xi meeting. A South Korean report also cited Istana, the official residence of President of Singapore, as a possible venue to host the summit. Following Trump's renewed commitment to the summit on June 1, Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen welcomed the move and stated that Singapore would cover some of the costs of the summit. Advance team members of the American and North Korean delegations that were meeting in Singapore in prior weeks were believed to have been staying in Capella Singapore in Sentosa and the Fullerton Hotel Singapore in the Downtown Core, both of which were additional venue options for the Summit. The White House announced on June 4, that the meeting will take place at 9.00am (SGT) and confirmed next day that the Capella Singapore will be the venue for the June 12 summit. The US clarified that they would not pay for the North Korea's official administration. They also affirmed that they will talk with the South Korean and Japanese governments if asked about the possible declaration of the end of Korean War during the Summit.